It’s Marathon Week!

I’m writing this on Sunday….at this exact time next week I’ll be cruising through the Paris Marathon, feeling great, on my way to my medal. I am not a medal person typically…. But this is one medal I will cherish. Not only does it look cool (the marathon provided some teaser photos) if you deserve a medal for anything, it’s a damn marathon.

My biggest concern is that every time I look at the extended forecast for Paris the temperature goes up and the chance of rain goes down. There’s a reason I picked a marathon where I trained in the winter…I HATE the heat. Any here. It’s looking to be about 70 F now and no rain or clouds. Meanwhile, my training has been in at minimum long sleeves and tights every single run… Grrrrr. Even Scotland is jumping on the warm train because I’m typing this while I’m sitting outside. I really need to figure out how to get some sports drinks up in my body during the race since they don’t offer any.

Besides the aforementioned which I can not control….I’ve done all I could with the cards I’d been dealt. I was using Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Plan which is supposed to be the most widely used plan EVER (for beginners and more experienced). I ran my 4 days, I cross trained, I strength trained. And yet I got injured. And early on I had been sick. Admittedly, some times I moved runs around during the week to fit my schedule. And Here WAS the plan:

I know I missed most of week 6 into week 7. My first run back was the 12 miler at the end of week 7. And that was brutal but I gutted through it. Then I carried on until week 13. I started off week 13 with a 9 miler on Tuesday that was so painful. And was immediately followed up by 2 solid weeks off. Buh-bye weeks 13 & 14. When I can back on week 15 my plan had to be adjusted. As much as I wanted to I couldn’t jump back in for an 18 or 20 miler that week after taking so much time off and nursing my hip. My phsio made me an updated plan:

WEEK

MON

TUE

WED

THUR

FRI

SAT

SUN

15

3

REST

5

REST

8

16

REST

5

REST

10

6

REST

16

17

REST

10

10

REST

4

6

REST

18

3

4

2

4

I’m not sure if I’ll run 4 on Thursday. With the flight over and going to the expo, etc…I think I’ll have enough time on my feet.

On my 16 mile, right after I finished I went and walked 3 miles on trails to give me a total of 19 miles on my legs. In fact, for all 4 runs of week 16 I would walk 3-5 miles after my run, as well as a few miles on rest days.

On week 17, I nearly didn’t make my first 10 miler. My legs were so dead from the 19 miles on Sunday. I wanted to quit. I stopped a million times. I walked. I even cried. But I was determined to get 10 even if I crawled em. In the end I did. This run and it’s next day 10 miler are supposed to replicate a 20 miler and hitting the wall. And I got through them. In fact, the next day on my 10 miler- I ran an EXCEPTIONAL 10. Then the next day I accidentally hiked 8 miles and was REALLY dead, so bagged the 4 mile run on Friday. Did my 6 and am enjoying my rest day.

It’s a short taper. And I didn’t do a standard 18 or 20 mile run. But I adapted. And I didn’t quit. And I did everything I could in the situation. I have to believe I have trained enough. That I’m ready to take on 26.2